Career Alert: Advancements In Agricultural Technology
Farmers have always been interested in finding easier, better and more sustainable methods in the provision of food and health. Over time, the wheelbarrow transitioned into a pickup truck, changing the way harvests moved from the farm to the market while advancements in agricultural technology have enabled the farmer to progress rapidly while still maintaining the necessary balance of supply and demand.
Traditional farmers may have adopted some aspects of technology through trial and error, but are less receptive to advancing technologies. Millennials, on the other hand, who are building businesses around the agriculture sector and who have grown up replacing gadgets every year, are more accepting and willing to evolve.
Here are a few technologies that could be appealing for those interested in farming or working in the agriculture industry in general.
Genetically Engineered Food
People who care about the environment more than how their food tastes, are always looking for newer ways to convince people why organic produce is important. Inorganic produce has always been regarded as ineffective or even hazardous to health. While highly controversial, one solution is to alter the ways in which food is grown and produced with genetic engineering. GE foods can lower the cost of production, making produce accessible to a wider spectrum of people.
Telematics
In the past, tracking your farming equipment and its performance during the day was immensely hard for farmers. Today, with telematics, a farmer can track the entire farming area and know exactly the amount of crop that has been harvested, the amount of fuel utilized, or if a machine is malfunctioning.
The telematics products will allow the equipment to communicate the entire performance data easily to the farmer. Similar software that has been introduced recently is Farm Works Dispatch – which works with a DCM-300 modem to provide real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections and enable the information to be transferred wirelessly.
Smart Sensors
Research and developments are underway to build and enhance sensors that allow farmers to stay updated on how much water the soil needs, measure the nitrogen levels of the soil, and maintain the health of the crops in a more assured manner.
These sensors will minimize the loss of the crop and prevent them from malnourishment. Sensor technology also helps determine the ground elevation, pH levels, and organic matter content in the soil which improves the chances of a farmer planting seeds in the right soil at the right time.
Sensors also measure the light reflectance from the growing plants, read the conditions of the plants, and update the applications connected.
Automated Machines
Grain machines today are equipped with an automatic navigation system that helps with filling the grain cart or wagon. Precision grain harvesting leads to farmers getting a higher yield in their crops. Farmers in the near future will also see electric tractors and sprayers from farming equipment manufacturers who will soon debut electricity-powered machines.
Users will see a 20% savings in their fuel costs using these newer units, and yield 30% more power in comparison to older machines used in digging, planting, and harvesting.
Advanced farming technologies will be a stepping-stone for millennials who are interested in planning their future in the agricultural industry. With smaller workloads, more profits, and a more efficient system of work, the next generation will benefit immensely from the agriculture revolution.